Philippines

Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg News

News about Philippines, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jan. 29, 2015

Philippine Pres Benigno S Aquino III says he did not authorize counterterrorism raid on island of Mindanao that resulted in deaths of 44 police officers; officers were killed by members of rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who claim they had not been told of raid and were acting in self defense. MORE

Jan. 26, 2015

Clash in southern Philippines between police forces and Muslim insurgents leaves more than 30 commandos dead. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Six million people in the Philippines turn out to see Pope Francis as he celebrates Sunday Mass in its capital Manila, part of his five-day visit to country. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Pope Francis makes first papal visit in 20 years to Philippines and is greeted by cheering throngs in deeply Catholic country where church is grappling with social change and its decline in political power. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Vatican says Pope Francis will visit Sri Lanka and Philippines in his second trip to Asia in six months; Francis hopes to convey message of reconciliation and peace in Sri Lanka, which has endured decades-long civil war, and commiserate with loss suffered by people in Philippines due to 2013 typhoon; focus on Asia highlights how Roman Catholic Church has shifted attention away from Europe in last decade. MORE

Jan. 2, 2015

Large fire in Philippine capital of Manila destroys almost one thousand shanties and kills three people; fire is believed to have been caused by firecrackers and is one of more than dozen fires in country connected to New Year's celebrations. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Philippine prosecutors recommend that United States Marine Pfc Joseph Scott Pemberton be charged with murder in connection with death of Jennifer Laude, Filipino transgender woman. MORE

Dec. 9, 2014

Philippine government arrives at United Nations climate change summit meeting in Peru to push hard for new international deal requiring all nations to cut their use of fossil fuels as Typhoon Hagupit drives millions of Filipinos from their homes; nation is using fact that it is one of most vulnerable to impacts of climate change to help advance global negotiations. MORE

Dec. 8, 2014

Residents of eastern Philippines express relief that they joined hundreds of thousands who evacuated to safer ground in preparation for Typhoon Hagupit; fears about repeat of devastation left by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 have prompted much better evacuation response. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Typhoon Hagupit makes landfall in Philippines, and is expected to take up to three days to move through central part of country, dumping heavy rains and raising possibility of deadly landslides; many people are evacuated amid fears that last year's devastating typhoon will be repeated. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Lorenzo Vinciguerra, Swiss bird-watcher being held by Abu Sayyaf rebel group for more than two years, escapes during Philippine army raid; Abu Sayyaf rebels have been conducting bombings, kidnappings and other attacks in Philippines for more than a decade, trying to establish strict Islamic state. MORE

Dec. 5, 2014

Typhoon Hagupit moves toward the Philippines, forcing port closures and stranding thousands of travelers; some local governments order evacuations. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

Pfc Joseph Scott Pemberton, United States Marine accused in gruesome killing of Filipino woman Jennifer Laude, is placed in custody on Philippine military base; some analysts say case could have implications for two countries' military relationship. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Philippines militant group releases German citizens Stefan Okonek and Henrike Dielen, who were kidnapped and held for six months; group claims a $5.6 million ransom was paid. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

Police in Philippines file murder complaint against Pfc Joseph Scott Pemberton, an American Marine, accusing him of killing a transgender Filipino whom he met at a bar. MORE

Sep. 30, 2014

Joint military exercises between United States Navy and its Philippine counterpart kick off in Palawan, island closest to contested areas of South China Sea; exercises are being conducted amid tense dispute with China. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

Philippine Pres Benigno S Aquino III expresses public concern about mixed messages from China amid ongoing territorial dispute over the South China Sea; describes how disputes have created tense backdrop to relations between the Philippines and China while entangling growing number of foreign parties. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

Philippine Pres Benigno S Aquino III announces full withdrawal of his nation's forces from Golan Heights region between Israel and Syria; decision further undermines four-decade-old United Nations peacekeeping operation in area that has come under attack by Syrian insurgents. MORE

Sep. 11, 2014

Philippine Pres Benigno S Aquino III submits draft law to congress that would create a self-governed, predominantly Muslim autonomous region in country's south as part of plan to end more than four decades of fighting with rebels; opponents say agreement infringes on Philippine sovereignty, essentially creating a separate Muslim state. MORE

Aug. 23, 2014

Philippine police have arrested eight people suspected of being members of online syndicate accused of blackmailing more than 1,000 Hong Kong and Singapore residents after luring them into exposing themselves in front of a webcam. MORE

Aug. 13, 2014

Philippine military captures former Maj Gen Jovito Palparan, wanted in connection with disappearance of two students in 2006; human rights groups say case has come to symbolize country's long legacy of abductions and abuses of leftist activists by members of security forces. MORE

Aug. 6, 2014

Twelve Chinese fishermen are found guilty of illegal fishing in Philippine waters and are sentenced to 6 to 12 years in jail; convictions are first since tension between two nations flared over rival claims in South China Sea. MORE

Aug. 4, 2014

Crumbling infrastructure in Philippines is serious drain on economy and obstacle to nation's growth; 2.2 million vehicles daily on Manila's overcrowded road system costs more than $20 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted energy; Philippine economy is one of Asia's fastest growing, upwards of $250 billion. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Muslim rebels in southern Philippines open fire with automatic weapons on group of 50 people headed to religious celebration for holy month of Ramadan, killing at least 21 and wounding 13; government is attributing attack to violent extremist group Abu Sayyaf. MORE

Jul. 16, 2014

Powerful storm cuts through the Philippines, killing at least one person and sending more than 150,000 people into shelters; typhoon causes landslides and flooding along its path from the central Philippines to the northern peninsula of Bataan, passing just south of the capital city, Manila. MORE

Jun. 27, 2014

Pentagon says it is phasing out Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, elite American counterterrorism unit that has been operating in Philippines since just after September 11, 2001, attacks; unit was formed to help train and advise Philippines in fight against Al Qaeda-linked groups; American Special Forces will continue to help Philippines on smaller scale. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

China has been moving sand onto reefs and shoals to add several new islands to Spratly archipelago, part of effort to expand Chinese footprint in South China Sea; island-building has alarmed Vietnam, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations that also claim sovereignty over archipelago. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Philippines capture Khair Mundos, top leader of a militant group who the United States says funneled money from Al Qaeda to Filipino rebels blamed for more than a decade of bombings, beheadings and kidnappings in the southern part of the country. MORE

Jun. 12, 2014

Brooklyn Nets player Andray Blatche is granted Philippine citizenship so he can play for the country's team at the World Cup. MORE

Jun. 6, 2014

Pres Benigno S Aquino III of the Philippines says China is moving ships around disputed reefs in South China Sea that could be used to reclaim land and help build structures; Philippines has filed a diplomatic note protesting China's activities on the Johnson South Reef, which China claims is its territory. MORE

May. 31, 2014

Malaysian Prime Min Najib Razak says that Chinese tourist and Filipino worker have been rescued nearly two months after they were abducted from a resort off Borneo. MORE

May. 27, 2014

Andray Blatche, reserve center for Brooklyn Nets, is on the verge of becoming a Filipino citizen and a member of the Philippines' national basketball team; Blatche answered an invitation seeking NBA players willing to represent the country at the FIBA World Cup in August and September in Spain. MORE

May. 19, 2014

Masinloc Journal; fishermen who make their living off coast of Masinloc, Philippines, have become caught in geopolitical fight over South China Sea as Chinese patrols have begun chasing them away from fishing areas they depend on; area is one of many subject to conflicting claims by China and other Asian nations. MORE

May. 11, 2014

Philippine National Police arrest 11 Chinese fishermen who were caught with endangered sea turtles in part of the South China Sea that is claimed by both nations; fishermen are being held on charges of violating wildlife protection laws and face up to 20 years in prison. MORE

Apr. 28, 2014

United States reaches 10-year agreement with the Philippines that will give American warships, planes and troops greater access to bases in the archipelago; deal, centerpiece of Pres Obama’s visit to Philippines, returns United States to visible presence in country for the first time since American military gave up its naval and air bases there in 1992. MORE

Apr. 24, 2014

Pres Obama arrives in Japan to begin a four-country tour of Asia, and everywhere on his trip he will witness the lingering fallout of disasters, natural and human-made; from South Korea's ferry accident, to Malaysia's missing jetliner, to the Philippines, where government is still laboring to recover from Typhoon Haiyan, Obama will encounter leaders under pressure from angry, often grief-stricken constituents. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Pres Obama is expected to announce agreement with the Philippines that will give American ships and planes the most extensive access to bases there since the United States relinquished its vast naval installation at Subic Bay in 1992; deal will be centerpiece of Obama's long-postponed trip to Asia, and is modest step to reassert America's military presence in Asia. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

Reports from Malaysia and the Philippines reveal that viral disease known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome has reached Asia. MORE

Apr. 3, 2014

Editorial supports Philippines' filing of legal case against China's expansionist claims to South China Sea with international arbitration court in The Hague; holds venue is appropriate for resolving major dispute peacefully and preferable to China's proposal of bilateral talks; applauds United States backing of Philippines' right to use tribunal's dispute mechanism and urges other countries to do same. MORE

Apr. 1, 2014

China accuses the Philippines of illegally occupying Chinese territory after a Philippine vessel outmaneuvers the Chinese Coast Guard and resupplies a ship that had been stranded for 15 years on a tiny reef in the South China Sea. MORE

Mar. 28, 2014

Philippine government signs peace accord with Moro Islamic Liberation Front, country’s largest Muslim rebel group; deal marks culmination of years of negotiations. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Philippine security forces arrest Benito Tiamzon, chairman of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines, along with his wife Wilma; move deals biggest blow in years to the decades-old rebel group. MORE

Feb. 5, 2014

Philippine Pres Benigno S Aquino III calls for nations around world to provide more support to Philippines in resisting China's claims to seas near country; draws comparisons to West's failure to support Czechloslovakia against Hitler's demands for Czech land in 1938. MORE

Feb. 4, 2014

Once-thriving Philippine city of Tacloban shows relatively few signs of economic recovery nearly three months after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the area, despite an international rescue effort; many residents who are able to leave are looking for jobs in other parts of the country. MORE

Jan. 31, 2014

Brooklyn Nets forward Andray Blatche casually and rather comically confirms an international report that he is being recruited to join Philippine national basketball team before the FIBA World Cup. MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

Officials in the Philippines say nearly 40 rebels have been killed in a police and military assault against an Islamic insurgent group that the government has feared would disrupt a landmark peace accord struck with other rebels. MORE

Jan. 27, 2014

Analysts say that achievement of peace deal between Philippine government and country's largest Muslim rebel group was aided by Pres Benigno S Aquino III's insistence that deal must be struck before he left office in 2016. MORE

Jan. 26, 2014

Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, country’s largest Muslim insurgency group, negotiate final details of peace accord that will establish autonomous Muslim-dominated region and hopefully end decades of violence. MORE

Jan. 15, 2014

Op-Ed article by Tim Hanstad and Roy Prosterman, executives at nonprofit group Landesa, contends the developing world's landless poor routinely bear the brunt of natural disasters like Typhoon Haiyan; urges international community to push for enforcement of long-ignored land tenure reform laws in the Philippines. MORE

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